The widow of slain Haitian president Jovenel Moise has filed a lawsuit in a Miami-Dade County court in Florida against a handful of individuals connected to the brutal torture and assassination of her husband. Although the case is still under investigation, several individuals have been arrested in connection to Moise’s targeted assassination.

Martine Moise filed her lawsuit last Thursday, nearly two years after her husband was assassinated on July 7th, 2021. The attack took place in the couple's private residence in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The 53-year-old was ambushed in his home in the early morning hours. His wife was home at the time and was shot but survived the horrific ordeal.

Haitian authorities investigating the case narrowed down the assailants to a group of foreign mercenaries consisting of 26 Colombians and two Haitian Americans. The Haitian Americans were allegedly hired on to be interpreters for the group. As the investigation continued, over 40 people were arrested. Among those were a former Haitian government official and a former Haitian senator.

Attorney Paul Turner is representing Moise’s widow and shares that there are likely still more individuals involved with the killing that have not been identified. "We believe there are deep pockets or political power behind this," Turner shared with the Associated Press.

At least 11 suspects are currently detained in U.S. federal prison in connection to the killing. The case has more or less remained stagnant in Haiti after a breakdown of the nation’s governing body. Four judges that were appointed to oversee the case have since resigned or been dismissed from their positions. At least one judge was threatened with his life if he took on the case, while another judge died under curious circumstances.

With the exception of two individuals held in U.S. prisons, Walter Veintemilla, head of Miramar-based Worldwide Capital Lending Group, and Rodolphe Jaar, a Haitian-Chilean businessman, all detained suspects have been found indigent by the court, meaning they do not own any assets.

Turner shares that while U.S. officials have been transparent and in communication with the family about the case, Haitian authorities have not released any information about any developments connected to the suspects, their assets, or the case as a whole. Turner also shares that Haitian authorities have not divulged or released any assets that belong to the Moise family.

The lawsuit highlights the chaos that would later ensue after the assassination. The complaint reads, "The implausible goal — upon assassinating President Moise in cold blood — was for the co-conspirators to install their own kangaroo government which would then summarily pardon the assassins. Setting aside the sheer insanity of their end game, the assassins succeeded in part."

Moise and her legal team maintain that in addition to seeking a sense of closure, the mission of the lawsuit is to hold those involved in her husband's murder accountable for their egregious actions. “Whatever assets are out there, we will make sure these people will pay,” Turner shared with the AP.

The detainees in the U.S. have a tentative trial date set for May 6, 2024. The civil lawsuit names 11 suspects charged and held in U.S. facilities and is seeking unspecified damages for the family as well as a trial by jury.